The rise in infertility has led many women and men to try acupuncture as a treatment. Sometimes, acupuncture treatment is combined with herbal medicine practices. Despite the increase in usage, though, whether acupuncture is effective is still widely debated.
An Explanation of Acupuncture
Traditional acupuncture treatment consists of the insertion of extremely thin needles at specific body points. Despite using needles, the treatment is painless. The insertion of these needles is claimed to trigger a body's energy, reduce pain and relax muscles. Treatment may also include heat, electrical currents or pressure such as a massage. Acupuncturists are licensed technicians. The acupuncture needle has been approved by the FDA, but treatments are not considered a medical necessity and therefore may not be covered by insurance. ?
Acupuncture and Fertility
Increasingly, those desiring to become parents are turning to acupuncture as a means to get pregnant. Acupuncture can be attempted to cure any type of infertility, but blocked fallopian tubes will not respond to this method of treatment. The treatment works best for individuals experiencing functional and not structural problems. An example of a functional problem is irregular ovulation. Acupuncturists claim that acupuncture helps regulate the body's systems, including reproduction, which increases functioning.
The Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Infertility Treatment
While patients using acupuncture alone and not in conjunction with other treatments have become pregnant, there is very little evidence that acupuncture is a certain resolution for infertility. Most practitioners claim that treatments will relax a body, making it more amenable to becoming pregnant or producing sperm. These claims too, however, are unsubstantiated.
Studies have shown that acupuncture increases the success of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. Additionally, those women who simultaneously underwent both IVF and acupuncture had a lower rate of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancies.
The psychological effects of acupuncture may be what make it the most successful. Aside from relaxing and opening the body, treatment may create a sense of being in control of reproduction, leading to a calmer, less stressed patient. Furthermore, acupuncture may increase the immune system's resiliency and increase hormone production, meaning better egg quality and thickness of the uterine lining.
Possible Dangers of Acupuncture
The effectiveness of acupuncture must also be considered in light of its dangers. If done improperly, the treatment could cause problems and potentially cause miscarriage. Additionally, if combined with herbal medicines, be aware that certain herbs could inhibit the effectiveness of fertility drugs. Always check with your doctor prior to beginning acupuncture or ingesting herbs. Other possible side effects of acupuncture are allergic reactions to the needles and the early onset of labor due to the treatment increasing the hormones responsible for starting labor.
Because of the lack of data, it is uncertain whether acupuncture is an effective treatment for fertility. Thoroughly investigate any practitioner prior to starting treatment and notify your doctor to check whether such treatment will interfere with any of your doctor's plans.
